Australian rocket company, Gilmour Space Technologies, has unveiled its ‘One Vision’ rocket which it plans to launch later this month, and conducted a live demonstration of its automated mobile launcher, the first of its kind in Australia.
“One Vision is a scaled version of our Ariel sounding rocket, and its main objective will be to flight-test our proprietary hybrid rocket engine for commercial orbital launches starting in 2020,” said the company’s CEO and Founder, Adam Gilmour.
The nine metre tall rocket will be carrying payloads from universities in Australia and Singapore, and is slated to launch from a private property in far north Queensland later this month. “We’re in the final stages of obtaining launch approvals from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority,” said Mr. Gilmour.
The coming launch will also be a test of the company’s new mobile launch platform and ground control station. “There are currently no commercial launch sites for orbital launches in Australia. What you see here today will enable us to launch from remote areas in Australia and elsewhere.”
Members of the Queensland parliamentary committee inquiring into the job-creation opportunities from space, were first to view the demo. “I congratulate Gilmour Space for being such active and innovative entrepreneurs, really driving the development of the Queensland space industry. It’s so critical that other Queensland companies see that they too could be active participants in Space 2.0,” said committee chairperson, Chris Whiting.
Indeed, Gilmour Space believes that a dedicated commercial launch site in Queensland could form the cornerstone of upstream space manufacturing in Queensland and Australia. “It’s becoming clear to everyone that space is a real business. It is an industry that is developing cutting edge technology, attracting real investments, employing highly skilled talent within Australia, and bringing new and valuable skills into the country.
“With stronger support from the government, I believe this growth could be nurtured and accelerated, helping us put Australia on the global space map.”
